Afrin

Turkish-backed forces have taken full control of the centre of the Syrian-Kurdish city of Afrin. Fighters waved flags and tore down the statue of a legendary Kurdish figure Kawa after claiming the city centre yesterday. The two-month Turkish-led operation aimed to rid the border region of a Kurdish militia that Turkey considers a terrorist group. […]

At least 36 pro-Syrian government troops have been killed by a Turkish air strike in the region of Afrin. The strike targeted a camp at Kafr Jina in the northern Syrian region. The pro-government troops entered Afrin two weeks ago to back Kurdish forces. Eight Turkish soldiers were killed and another 13 were injured on […]

Indiscriminate shellfire by Turkish troops – and to a lesser extent Kurdish forces – has killed scores of civilians in Syria, a human rights group alleges. Amnesty International said it had verified witness testimony from the north-western Kurdish enclave of Afrin that “painted a grim picture”. Turkey has denied targeting civilians since launching an offensive against […]

Pro-Syrian government forces on Tuesday arrived in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin following an agreement between the government and the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The government fighters advanced toward the Afrin region in Syrian Kurdistan after an agreement was arranged earlier to allow the Syrian troops to enter the Kurdish-controlled area. Following the arrival of […]

Tensions continue to rise as Turkey has warned the Syrian government not to help Kurds fighting against Turkish forces in northern Syria. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said Turkey’s operations were going ahead as planned and it would be a “disaster” if Syrian troops were to intervene. Syrian media had earlier said the army would […]

Kurdish fighters in north-western Syria say they have struck a deal with the Syrian government under which it will send troops to help repel the ongoing Turkish Olive Branch offensive. The Syrian government in Damascus has offered no confirmation. There is currently no Syrian military presence in the area. In next door Iran, relatives of […]

The Turkish army on Monday revealed that 31 of its soldiers had been killed since the start of an offensive against Syrian Kurds in the northwestern enclave of Afrin in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava). According to an official statement by the Turkish armed forces, another 143 soldiers were wounded in the ongoing campaign dubbed “Operation Olive […]

The delegation of Kurdish MPs who are tasked with investigating the situation in Afrin in Syrian Kurdistan have arrived in the capital city of the Kurdish canton on Sunday evening. The MPs who come from five different Kurdish parties are on an official visit to Afrin which has come under intensive Turkish strikes and military […]

Israel bombed a number of Syrian air defences after one of its fighter jets was brought down during a raid over Syria. The response was the “most significant attack” of its kind against Syria since the 1982 Lebanon war. The F-16 jet went down during a mission that followed an Iranian drone launched into Israeli […]

France’s Foreign Minister on Wednesday called on Iranian militias and the Lebanese Hezbollah to withdraw from Syria and accused Turkey, Iran, and the Syrian regime of violating international law in the war-torn country. Jean-Yves Le Drian said France was demanding the withdrawal of “all those who have no business in Syria,” and also accused “the […]